Valentine's Day Blues
by Buffy Anne Summers
Summary: Buffy and Willow plan to have a girls' night in, but their plans go astray with two guys vying for Buff's attention on the same night... B / A or B / S. You can help me decide who wins!
1. Chapter One

Hello! This idea got stuck in my head, so I wrote it down. Here it is! Please R / R!!!  
  
Spoilers: For Angel season three and Buffy season six... probably other seasons too. It's two AM. I can't tell anymore.  
  
:) lol  
  
Enjoy! At least, I hope you do.  
  
Valentine's Day Blues  
  
" This sucks," Buffy proclaimed, tossing a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she walked out of the theatre.  
  
" Yeah. It really does." Willow grimaced after taking a long swig of coke. High calorie, extra-large movie theater coke. Bad. Very bad news for her hips.  
  
The two best friends were at the Sun Cinema, trying to bond. Sadly enough, the upcoming holiday was too great a disappointment to forget. With Willow and Tara broken up and Buffy and Spike... well, not screwing every five seconds, for one thing - no one had anyone and everyone was upset.  
  
" Valentines' Day is a masochistic holiday, used to sell chocolates and flowers," Buffy stated, trying to be resolute, but it came out as if she were trying to reassure herself.  
  
"Yeah," Willow replied, just as unconvincingly.  
  
The girls' sighed.  
  
Buffy gathered herself. " Well, I guess we're staying in tomorrow night. Hey, what say we have a little party? Screw the boys." She realized who she was talking to. " And girls," she amended quickly. Willow thought it over. She shrugged. " It'll take my mind off of Tara, and using magick. Deal. I'm in." They shook on it.  
  
They turned the corner onto Revello Drive.  
  
" Do you know that everyone else has dates?!? Xander and Anya, of course, but get this: Dawn has a date, too. My little sister, out-dating me! So unfair."  
  
"But didn't Spike ask you - "  
  
"Of course he did. But I'm trying to keep that whole thing under wraps. Although, he did want to take me to a restaurant in Los Angeles for tomorrow... and then he was going to take me to this club to dance..." she realized she was getting too dreamy-eyed. "And he always will ask me. Hell, he'd probably try to take me out for Arbor Day!" Willow snickered. " Never knew Spike loved his trees." Buffy shot back, " I think he likes them best when they're cut down and sharpened to the tips: you know, my weapon of trade?" Willow laughed.  
  
Buffy continued. " Then again, he usually wants to stay in, if you get my drift. And there is no way in any dimension that I will go back to that bar with Spike for him to play kitten poker!"  
  
They reached Buffys' house. " No. There is no way we are ever doing that again."  
  
*****  
  
"There is no way - we are ever - doing this - again!" Buffy moaned as Spike trailed kisses all over her neck. She motioned for him to quiet. " Sshh! Willow and Dawn are - " Buffy's voice rose an octave higher as Spike moved *ahem* lower. Buffy bit her lip. "Home!"  
  
Spike straightened up slowly and stared into Buffy's defiant green eyes with his own piercing ice blue ones. He purred into her ear, " Come on, luv. Not like they don't know we've been doing this for a while now, anyway. All the noise you made the other week pretty much destroyed any chance of your Scooby Gang not knowing," he said smirking. Buffy pushed him away in disgust. "Go away." She turned to face her wall, arms crossed. Spike sighed.  
  
"Buffy..." he hesitated, " You know I'm right. Just one more time? Think of it as a last goodbye," he said as he wrapped his arms around her. She flinched under his touch. His eyes narrowed in anger. He snorted. "So you want to play it like that, is it?" He got in close and ran his fingers through her recently-shorn hair. " Fine. But just you wait. I won't have to ask you next time. You'll come to me." He turned to the window and climbed onto the roof. With one last look at Buffy, he said softly, " I love you. Why do you fight me?" Then he was gone.  
  
Buffy sat down, her head spinning with a thousand emotions running through her. Though she constantly denied it, she did feel something for Spike - even though she wasn't sure what that ' something ' was. She knew he thought he loved her. And who knew? Maybe he did. But she was normal. She was human, she always had been. Spike had been putting the thought that she was demon into her head, but it wasn't her, never her. Spike was evil, she reasoned. She was good. That's all there was to it. That was all. Buffy resolutely turned out the light and tried to sleep.  
  
*****  
  
"Um...Buffy?"  
  
"I'm coming, Willow!"  
  
Buffy ran the brush through her hair one last time, then looked over her outfit. Some outfit, she thought. My sushi pajamas. Big wow. She started to dash out the door, then on second thought smeared on some tinted lip gloss. Suddenly, a weird feeling hit her, the one she only got when...  
  
That's impossible, Buffy thought. He's not here. She turned and went down the stairs.  
  
At the bottom next to a nervous-looking Willow she met a familiar face. "Angel? What are you..." she looked at her ex-boyfriend questioningly. He smiled at her and pulled out a bouquet of white roses from behind his back. " Buffy. I wanted to see how you were, actually. Thought I might brighten your evening with flowers. I had a night off from work. No visions from Cordy." He looked at her closely. " Unless you're going somewhere in your sushi pajamas..." he grinned at her. Strangely, Buffy smiled back. Angel was different, somehow. He seemed happier.  
  
Angel was thinking too. Buffy wasn't as bright as she had been once, even since they had met the first time since she was resurrected. She seemed dull, almost lifeless. Her smile before had seemed empty and forced, but the one she gave him now was real. The little half-smile that always had seemed just for him. But Buffy felt comfortable with him, not like how she felt with Spike. She felt safe with Angel, like Spike, and all that he represented, couldn't hurt her.  
  
She didn't want him to leave, not now, when she finally felt the vacant lot in her heart filling.  
  
She asked playfully, " Were you planning on joining us on our evening in? We're watching that movie, Valentine. You know, the scary one?" Willow chimed in. " Yeah. Oohh, it's the one with the guy who looks like Angel, Buffy!" Buffy smiled up at him. "Now you have to watch it with us. Okay?"  
  
He let her lead him into the living room. " I wouldn't have it any other way..." he murmered. He praised God that Connor was safe with Fred Lorne, and Cordy at home. He liked seeing Buffy again.  
  
*****  
  
Spike took a deep breath. He straightened his open-collar shirt and fiddled with the chocolate box in his hands. "Damn!" he cursed as he almost dropped the big red teddy bear he was balancing with his other arm. He dusted it off as he stood straight. He was at Buffy's front door tonight on Valentine's, not at her window. There was a black plymouth parked down in front of the house, but he just figured the neighbors' were having a little party, like they always did, and brushed it off. Okay, Spike, he thought. Just... try to show her you love her, okay?  
  
He raised his hand to knock.  
  
REVIEW! Please! I love them. I also need to decide who Buffy should end up with at the end of the story, which you guys can tell me and I will take them into consideration. I just want to say that Cordy and Angel? Nuh-uh. Never. I just don't want Angel with anyone except for Buffy, but seeing as that isn't likely anymore :( no. Buffy and Spike are good though, too.... :) Ok. I'm done rambling. Please review my story. I'll luv you forever.... ;) 


	2. Chapter Two

Valentine's Day Blues  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Buffy jerked at the sharp rap at the door. She peered through the little glass window on the side of the door, trying not to disturb Angel - who's lap she'd been curled up on - and---  
  
Oh. My. God.  
  
She'd seen seen a flash of peroxide blonde hair.  
  
The hair she'd been running her fingers through last night.  
  
The hair that would most definitely torn out from his scalp if Angel found it he had come to Buffy's door, wearing what she thought was an open-collar shirt. Not that she cared what happened to Spike. Right, Buffy?  
  
Willow hadn't really stirred; she had fallen asleep after about ten minutes. But Buffy and Angel had stayed awake, and Willow's " there, but not there" nap had given them a chance to talk about life. Mostly Buffy's life. She shyed away from the subject of her resurrection, instead telling him about Dawn, Xander and Anya's upcoming wedding ( on which Angel was promptly invited to, and he had said her would come - " Harris getting married. Wow. Well, I'll be there, even just to hold him down when he struggles to run," ), Willow's magical abuse, and ( quietly ) Tara and Willow's break-up. She told him about the musical episode in her life, and he told her of the classical ballet gone astray.  
  
"Boy," Buffy said dryly, " Look at all the arts we're exposed to everyday."  
  
They got to the subject of love, it being Valentine's Day and all. Buffy thought it was masochistic, but Angel seemed to believe strongly in his conviction.  
  
" Love is eternal. It never dies. Why would there not be a celebration of this endless, timeless wonder? Buffy, " Angel took her small warm hand into his large, cool ones and spoke softly, " When you died, my love for you didn't die. The place in my heart where you had always been was empty, but my love for you never left." He looked into her eyes sincerely. Without thinking, Buffy went to kiss him. His lips met hers, and that emptiness that had separated them from each other was full again, the connection was re-established. Their kiss grew as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a fever. Buffy moaned into Angel's mouth.  
  
They had made out for about an hour, when they had contentedly fallen asleep together. And then the incessant knocking at the door that had awoken her.  
  
Angel stirred and Buffy froze, afraid of the rage he'd inflict on Spike if he saw him. Buffy slid off of him gently and went to the door. She opened it to reveal Spike - with a huge red teddy bear and a huge bouquet of roses. And chocolate, Buffy wondered? Spike cleared his throat awkwardly. " Buffy. I..." he held out the gifts to her and smiled brightly at her. " I'm sorry. About last night. Do you think we could, uh, start over? Clean slate and all that bloody stuff." He peered at her. " Buffy? What's the matter?" She stared at him blankly, as she set down the gifts on the side table next to the door.  
  
....What happens next? Wouldn't you like to know? :) lol.  
  
I think I'm going to take the advice of Ava, Honey, and seriously, and do both a Spike and an Angel ending. I have two monstrously good ideas for both, so...yeah.  
  
Sorry this is short, but, well, I wanted to get some sleep tonight! Keep reviewing! In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I luv ya! 


	3. Chapter Three - Spike

~*THIS IS THE SPIKE ENDING ONLY. THE ANGEL ONE IS STILL IN THE PROCESS OF BEING WRITTEN. :) * ~  
  
~~***Spike version***~~  
  
Buffy stared at Spike. He looked so...normal. He looked like a gentleman, or like...the bad boy everyone had in high school, only to clean up so very nicely. He'd given her a big red teddy bear. And flowers, and chocolates, for goodness sake! She looked down at her sushi pajamas and felt her face flame in embarassment.  
  
"Um, Buffy? You alright, luv?" Spike was giving her a concerned look, a genuine one. His eyes searched hers.  
  
Angel had seen her in these pajamas before when they were dating. Spike hadn't, when their...thing had began. It was different. Even though they'd already cunsummated their...thing, it was weird. But it was new, and shiny. It felt exciting.  
  
She nodded dumbly. Then Buffy snuck a look at Angel and Willow's sleeping forms in the living room. She grabbed Spike's hand and rushed him into the kitchen. His gifts sat lonely on the side table.  
  
*****  
  
" What's all this about, pet?"  
  
Spike looked at her at a loss. He didn't understand what was going on. He tried again.  
  
" Listen, Buffy..."  
  
Buffy. He's called me Buffy all evening, she thought. Not Slayer. She cursed herself. Spike was still talking to her. She tried to listen to him.  
  
"...to court you."  
  
Buffy looked shocked, amazed, and confused. "Huh?"  
  
Spike took her hand in his, the way Angel had done earlier. " Buffy. You know that...I love you. With all of my undead heart, even." Buffy giggled. Spike was amazed. She hadn't thrown his being a vampire back in his face like usual; no she had giggled. Giggled. Spike went on. " And I know we got off on a rather...bad start," Buffy looked at him. " Well, it wasn't bad in that you were bad," he rushed, " but just that - I want more than that. I want a relationship. I don't want you to work in that burger joint, luv. I'll get you money. I know you hate me - "  
  
" I know I do."  
  
Buffy froze. "Angel."  
  
Angel stood leaning against the door frame, an expression of controlled rage that showed in his voice. " What is he doing here, Buffy?"  
  
Buffy got angry. " Why do you care? And, I could ask you the same question. Why are you even here? Spike can be here if he wants. You can't tell me who can or can't come into my house."  
  
" Yeah, mate. Sod off. You can't just come skipping back to Sunnydale, to Buffy's door, into Buffy's life like this."  
  
"Don't tell me what to do, boy!" Angel was seething. Spike stepped protectively in front of Buffy and yelled,  
  
" I bloody well will! You left, and I stayed, Angel. I stayed. You couldn't even come to her funeral! I came, for God's sake! I stood under a tree under a blanket in the sun, and I stayed! I protected lil Bit, I patrolled with the Scooby's, all of it!" Spike was shaking, and his voice lowered. " You don't know even where she was, do you?"  
  
Buffy tried to stop him but he signaled her to stop.  
  
" She was in heaven, Angel." He paused. "She was happy, at peace. She got torn out of that, pulled out of her reward, by her friends."  
  
Angel was shocked. He shook his head, disbelievingly. " No," he gasped. " No." Spike looked at him with utter contempt. " Yes, Angel. Yes. It's true. She told you she was in Hell, didn't she? No, wait - you just assumed. Everyone just assumed, and she let them. How could you not see that? That she wasn't there? Wouldn't you have thought a girl like her, light warrior and all, would have gone to hell? She was killed by that portal and it's dimension, but she never got sucked into it. She just died." Spike had tears in his eyes. " And it killed me. Again. She hated me, and I knew it, but it killed me all the same. But I stayed, while you ran off to some bloody retreat in Sri Lanka." He finished with disgust and turned to Buffy. " I'm done here, pet." He leaned down and softly brushed her cheek with her lips. Hoarsely, she whispered, " Thank you." He nodded, and left.  
  
Angel was still standing there, a blank expression on his face. " He loves you." His voice was toneless. Buffy nodded, unsure of what his reaction would be. " And you...love him?"  
  
"No. I don't love him. Yet. But Angel, he cares about me a great deal. And I think...I could learn to love him." She looked at him closely. " Angel, we already found out that what we had was over. When we kissed tonight, it was just kissing. I loved it, and it made me feel alive because it was you and I love you, always. But it didn't feel right anymore. We're over."  
  
Angel sighed. " I know. I know." he looked up at her. " But why Spike?"  
  
" Why Cordy?" Angel looked shocked. Buffy laughed lightly. " Willow told me. She called recently and Fred picked up the phone, and since the girl apparantly likes to talk..." she shrugged.  
  
" And Spike, well, he's here, for one thing. He cares, not only about me, but for all of my friends. It doesn't look like he's going to leave me," she finished softly. Angel nodded and stood up slowly. He brushed his lips over hers, and grabbed his coat from the hanger by the door. He walked out, then stopped and turned.  
  
" You still my girl?"  
  
Buffy smiled.  
  
"Always."  
  
*****  
  
Spike felt stupid.  
  
You stupid jerk, he thought to himself. He fell onto his couch and flipped on the tv. Oh good, a Passions marathon. He just settled down when an all-too-familiar voice interrupted Theresa's speech to Whitney. " Spike?" The voice was tentative, meek. Nothing like her, but everything like her. He turned to her and gasped. " Buffy."  
  
She stood there, in a soft yellow flowered dress that clung to her. The deep v-neck surrounded a delicate locket with a little, painted yellow rose on it. In a word she looked stunning.  
  
Spike stood up and tried to be presentable. He flipped the tv off. " Wow. You, you look amazing, pet." He walked toward her, a smile blossoming over his features. " Wow."  
  
Buffy smiled and looked down. " Spike, I was just wondering if..."  
  
"What, luv?" he urged.  
  
She looked up. " Do you want to go for ice cream?"  
  
His smile brightened, and he took her arm. Grabbing his coat, he led her out the door. 


	4. Chapter Four - Angel

~~**Angel ending**~~  
  
"Spike, what are you doing here?" Buffy hissed through her teeth. Angel would wake up any second, and then he'd kick Spikes' ass, and then her poor house would be decimated yet again.  
  
Spike looked kind of stupid standing there, all dressed up. Buffy was in her sushi pajamas', for God's sake! Buffy was angry, very angry at Spike. She'd already made it clear that she didn't love him; why couldn't he just leave her alone, Buffy fumed.  
  
"Well, I thought - "  
  
" Think! You never think! Why start now?" He flinched at her harsh words, and he hardened himself against her verbal blows. Peering behind her, he spied Angel asleep on the couch. He looked at Buffy, all mussed from sleep, and he connected it.  
  
" You little bitch. God, you're such a slut! Whoring yourself out to vampires, are you?" His voice lowered. " He don't even love you. Did you know he's got a son?" Buffy shook her head in disbelief. " It's him and Darla's! Every demon's after it, it's a big ol' prophetic baby. It's special. He's probably just here to ask you to babysit or something. And even then, it sounds like he's wanting a go at his secretary - "  
  
" Get out." Angel stepped menacingly in front of Buffy, who had tears running down her cheeks. From the look on his face, Spike knew he had heard his whole speel. Angels' eyes were wild with rage, and Spike drew back. He hadn't  
  
forgotten Angelus' wrath, and he realized he had pushed the boundaries too far. He backed off and ran out the door.  
  
Angel turned to Buffy and tried to hold her, but she pushed him away roughly. " Don't touch me."  
  
Angel's heart broke. " Buffy - "  
  
" I'm not one of the helpless you help at work. I'm not a case. Leave me alone!"  
  
He touched his hand to hers, and she pulled hers out of reach sharply.  
  
" DON'T FUCKING TOUCH ME, ANGEL!" Buffy screamed at him.  
  
Shaking with sobs, she fell to her knees, and she let him hold her, soothing her and wiping away her tears - the tears that had been ready to fall for so long.  
  
*****  
  
Buffy was still upset.  
  
She sat upstairs on her bed, wrapped in one of Angel's shirts he had brought with him. He had quieted her, then had  
  
gotten her into the shower. She didnt understand what was going on in her life anymore.  
  
Angel pushed open the door softly as he set down a tray with tea on it. " Hey," he said softly as he handed her peppermint tea to her, heavily sugared. She sipped it and laughed dryly. " You still remember how I like my tea."  
  
Angel sat down and looked at her seriously. " I remember everything about you, Buffy."  
  
A lone tear ran down Buffy's cheek. Angel wiped it away gently with the pad of his thumb. "Why?" she asked brokenly.  
  
" I love you, Buffy - "  
  
" No, not that. Why - and how? How is that even possible?" She looked at him, her eyes glimmering with tears. Angel spoke her thoughts. " Why Darla, you mean. And Connor." Buffy nodded, her eyes now wandering anywhere but Angel's face, Angel's eyes. He continued. " I was at a really bad time in my life Buffy, I kept spirling downwards, I fired my staff. Darla was the turning point though. I slept with her because I wanted to feel something; or rather, feel nothing at all." Buffy contemplated this, and realized that her thing with Spike came from the same reason. " I understand that," she said quietly. Then a look of shock came over her face. " You took that risk, of losing your soul. You wanted to lose your soul?"  
  
Angel nodded, ashamed. " I was so tired, tired of carrying the burden - but it didn't work, obviously. I threw her out afterwards and didn't hear from her again until October. I got my life back on track." He took her hand. " Connor is the only good thing I've ever done. I am so blessed to have this - this life that I helped create. Me!"  
  
"What does Darla think of this," Buffy asked softly. Angel's eyes didn't change. " She died. Killed herself to save the baby, actually. There were problems with the birth, and so she just staked herself." Buffy nodded. " Huh. So Darla had some ounce of humanity in her after all?" Angel shook his head. " It was the baby. He's human, Buffy." Buffy looked at him with surprise and hurt on her face. " Darla was afraid that after he was born, she would hurt it. Because the soul would be gone." Buffy took that in. " Angel." she touched his arm. He shivered at her touch. " I - "  
  
"What is it?"  
  
" I slept with Spike," she blurted out. Angel was shocked. " What?" He thought he hadn't heard her clearly. God, please don't let me have heard her clearly, he thought.  
  
" I - " Buffy hiccuped as the tears came pouring out. She was bawling now. " I was so, so lost, Angel. I died, and when I came back, he could hit me. He could hit me, even with his chip! I thought there was something wrong with me, and "  
  
Angel enveloped her in his arms. She snuggled into his embrace as he kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him with wild eyes. " You don't hate me?"  
  
"Buffy. I hate Spike. I hate the idea of my mate sleeping with him. But I don't hate you. I love you." Slowly he leaned his head down to kiss her --  
  
The door crashed open. Willow stood there, breathing heavily and searching her friend for any injuries.  
  
"Buffy! Are you okay? The door was open, and I found this big red teddy bear out there, and - " she noticed Angel, as well as the position Buffy was in with him. Willow reddened to the shade of her hair. " Oops. I'm sorry. I'll come back later tomorrow, okay?" She smiled mischeviously at her best friend. Buffy smiled gratefully in return. " You two have a happy Valentine's Day." Willow left.  
  
Buffy turned back to Angel. And lay her head against his chest. His warm, beating chest. Buffy gasped. " Angel? You're - "  
  
Angel smiled as joy filled his features. " Human," he finished. " I know. That's what I really came here to tell you."  
  
He got down on his knees in front of her. Buffy sat there, mystified.  
  
"Buffy, I know I haven't been here for you for a long time. But if you would let me, I'd like to make up for lost time."  
  
He pulled out a small box and opened it. " Buffy Anne Summers, will you marry me?"  
  
Buffy choked back a joyful sob. " Yes, Angel, I'll marry you!" He caught her in his arms and smothered her with kisses. Buffy just giggled. When he finally stopped kissing her, she arched an eyebrow at him and said, " I think that there's something else we have to make up time for, too." Growling, Angel pounced on her. Buffy just laughed.  
  
She felt alive again.  
  
All right! Okay, I know it's kind of sappy. Both of my endings. Don't kill me, okay! If anyone wants me to, I'll do an epilogue for this one, and maybe for the Spike ending. We'll see. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You are all sweeties. Now, go read my other story - High School: That Place Where You Learn! I'll try to update it soon. Luv ya! 


End file.
